Survivor of 7 October Nova festival attack in Israel found dead | Israel
The Israeli man whose girlfriend and best friend were killed in front of him at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, committed suicide days after the second anniversary of the terrorist atrocity.
Roei Shalev, who survived being shot during the Nova attack, was found dead in his burned-out car north of Tel Aviv on Friday night. Hours before his death, 30-year-old Shalev posted a message on social media stating that he felt he could not continue.
“Please don’t be mad at me, please,” he wrote. “No one will understand me, and that’s okay because you can’t. I just want this pain to end. I’m alive, but everything inside me is dead.”
More than 370 revelers were killed when Palestinian militants led by Hamas crossed into Israel from Gaza in the early hours of October 7, 2023, and attacked the music festival and several nearby communities.
Shalev’s girlfriend, Mapal Adam, and his best friend, Hili Solomon, were killed in front of him as the trio tried to hide under a car. According to Adam’s sister Maayan, Shalev was shot while trying to save his girlfriend.
“Roei lay next to the dead love of his life for about two hours until the army came and rescued him,” Maayan told Ynet last year. “He was hit by a bullet that pierced his ribs and entered his heart; I say his heart was so big it was impossible to miss.”
Shalev’s mother killed herself two weeks after the persecution. According to Israeli media reports, she was very close to Adam and was devastated by his death.
Maayan Adam posted a photo of his sister and Shalev on Saturday. The caption read: “Roei was killed on October 7 and died yesterday. I have no words and it will take time to find them. I hope these two children are hugging and smiling right now, their hearts pressed together again.”
The Nova Tribe Community Foundation, which supports survivors of the attack and their families, described Shalev as the “backbone of society” and called for him to be remembered for his courage and kindness.
“We want you to remember him for his beautiful moments, his courageous support of the community, his work as captain of the Nova Tribe basketball team, and his ongoing dedication to helping the friends, sons, and daughters of the Tribe through their most difficult and challenging times,” she said in a statement.
Several secular opposition politicians, who, unlike most members of the ruling coalition, are active on social media during the Jewish Sabbath, reacted with dismay to the news on Saturday and called for greater mental health support for survivors of the October 7 attacks.
Yair Golan, chairman of the left-wing Democrats party, wrote: “Roei couldn’t stand the pain, but others are still here fighting, coping, trying to live. We must give them whatever help we can – so they don’t feel alone.”
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
